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Cancer and Leukaemia Terms and Titles
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Displaying 61 terms beginning with "I"
See Intensive Care Unit.
An ileostomy (pronounced illy os tommy), is where an artificial opening is made in the skin of the abdomen and connected to the small bowel. A bag is worn over the opening, to collect the waste matter from the digestive system, which would normally be passed from the body as faeces.
See Illness.
Illness or Ill-health is where someone is not well, they are sick or have a disease.
See Intramuscular injection.
Immature means not fully developed.
Immature Cells are cells which are not fully developed. Cancers are made up of such cells. Where these are very immature cells, these cancers seem to grow quicker than cancers made up of less immature cells.
Someone having a lowered resistance to infection is said to have an immune deficiency.
This is the way the body reacts to anything from anything foreign (something coming from outside the body). The immune system would respond to such things such as bacteria, viruses, cancer cells, splinters and infection and other foreign bodies.
See Immune Reaction.
This is the way in which the body protects against itself disease by identifying and killing bacteria and viruses that can harm the body. For the immune system to function properly it needs to distinguish between harmful and harmless organisms. White blood cells are part of the immune system.
Immunity is the ability of the body to protect itself against disease and infection. Some people have poor immunity. This may be because they have suffered from some illness or disease which has weakened their immune system.
Immunology relates to the study of the immune system.
Is a medicine which slows down the activity of the immune system, if it is working too quickly or overactive.
Immunotherapy is treatment that stimulates, speeds up the immune system to fight cancer. Immunotherapies are also called biological therapy.
See Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy.
In situ describes an early stage of cancer, where it has not invaded or spread to nearby cells. In situ is the Latin for 'in its original place'.
A surgeon often makes an incision or cut in the body, when carrying out or performing an operation
See Incontinent.
Incontinent or Incontinence means a person can not stop themselves going to the toilet. Unless doctors give them treatment, they wet or mess themselves, without being able to help it. If a person is incontinent they cannot control their bladder (the organ where urine comes from) or their bowels (the organ where faeces come from).
An infection is an illness caused by micro-organisms, such as bacteria, viruses or fungi. Symptoms of infection include pain, a high temperature and swelling and redness in the infected area.
Infectious describes a disease which can be caught, by being passed from one person to another.
Infertile means being unable to have children.
Infertility means the inability to get pregnant or get someone pregnant.
Inflammation is your body's response to injury or illness. It is a complex chain of events that can lead to pain, heat, redness and swelling in the affected area of the body.
Influenza (flu) is a common infectious disease. A vaccination against flu may be given if someone is undergoing a course of chemotherapy.
Inherited means passed on from parents to their children, through their genes. One piece of inherited or genetic information may simply be the reason for the colour of an individual's hair. Another piece may mean an individual is more likely to contract or get some particular illness or develop cancer.
An inhibitor is a substance that interferes with, slows down (retards) or stops something happening.
Injected means to put fluid into a muscle, blood vessel or tissue, using a needle or other device. See injection.
An injection is where medication is put into a muscle, blood vessel or tissue, using a needle or other device. It can be intramuscular (IM), into a muscle or subcutaneous (Sub-Q), into the layer of fat, just below the outer layers of the skin, or intravenous (IV), into a blood vessel.
See Subcutaneous Injection.
Where a person's body is damaged, hurt or harmed in any way, they are injured, they have an injury. They may have cut themselves or have broken a bone or damaged themselves in other ways.
Inoperable means a cancer has spread to a part of the body, where it is not possible to operate on it or it is too risky to have an operation to remove it.
This is someone who goes to or attends hospital for treatment and stays overnight.
Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) is a type of radiotherapy, where the dose or level of radiotherapy is altered or modulated according to the thickness of the patient's body tissue. This ensures that every area of the cancer receives exactly the right amount of radiation, with healthier tissues receiving lower doses.
Intensive Care Unit (ICU), also known as a Critical Care Unit (CCU) or an Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU) or an Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU) is a specialist department, unit or ward. Here patients are very closely monitored. Some of these units have one nurse to every patient. Others will only have patients on ventilators or artificial respirators because they can not breathe without help.
See Intensive Care Unit.
Interferon is a type of immunotherapy.
Interleukin 2 is a type of immunotherapy.
Lymphomas are measured as to how potentially fast or slow growing cells are, when examined under the microscope. A doctor might refer to the 'grade' of a person's cancer as: high, intermediate or low, in order to decide on their treatment. Often doctors treat intermediate and high grade lymphomas at the same time.
Intestines are digestive organs found in the abdomen or lower part of the body. They are also known as either the large bowel (the colon) or small bowel. The small intestine removes nutrients from food to be used for energy, while the large intestine absorbs water from the digested food and processes it into stools or faeces.
See Ependymoma.
Intracranial Pressure is pressure that occurs within the cranium. Inflammation or infection of the linings of the brain may cause an increase in pressure within the cranium. This is painful and may, in some cases, become life-threatening.
Intramuscular injection or IM injection or intramuscularly is where an injection is given straight into a muscle.
See Intramuscular injection.
This is where an injection is given straight into the abdominal area. Chemotherapy may be given in this way to treat cancers if it is felt they may spread to other organs in the abdomen.
Intrathecal injection (IT injection, intrathecally) this is where an injection is given straight into the fluid around the spinal cord. Chemotherapy may be given in this way to treat cancers if it is felt they may spread to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).
See Intrathecal injection.
Intratumoural treatment is where injections are given directly into tumours. Sometimes chemotherapy, biological therapies and cancer vaccines may be given in this way.
Intraveneous means giving an injection straight into a vein.
See Drip.
See IV injection.
Iridium (iridium wires) are thin radioactive wires which are put into the tumour, under anaesthetic, in certain methods of internal radiotherapy. Sometimes thin hollow tubes are put into a tumour, through which tiny radioactive balls are fed into the hollow tubes from a machine.
See Iridium.
Iron is an essential mineral in our diet. Iron is necessary for the development of healthy red blood cells.
Where people are having bone marrow or stem cell transplant or high dose chemotherapy, they may be kept in isolation. This means they are kept apart from other people. Often they will be looked after in single rooms, while their white blood cell counts are low, to protect them from infection. People who are undergoing types of internal radiotherapy may be kept in isolation, to protect others from being exposed to unnecessary radiation.
A medical isotope, is a safe radioactive liquid, which can be injected into the body. It helps to give a clearer and more detailed picture of a part of the body, using a scanner.
This is where, before an operation, an isotope, which is a safe radioactive liquid, is injected into the body. The purpose of this is to show up parts of the body clearer, using a scanner. An isotope scan produces very detailed pictures of the inside of the body.
See Intrathecal injection.
See Intensive Care Unit.
This is where an injection is given straight into a blood vessel, intravenously.
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